Happy October!

We are still enduring the pandemic. To be honest, I hadn't really thought it would last this long. To be fair, our lifestyle has not changed very much. We have never really enjoyed dinning out. While we love watching films, it just seems more enjoyable at home without all the distractions of fellow movie goers. Work has also kept us rather occupied. I have been working more hours but, the change to an evening shift from a night shift has been so rewarding. I have actually been sleeping. Soundly. At night! What a wonderful experience! I have not had a solid sleep in a succession of nights for 10 years. I had no idea how much I was missing, healthwise, mentally and physically. It's like I have finally emerged from this overwhelming funk. The dogs and I have been walking a lot more. It is at night, after my shift. It is more satisfying for all of us. Very rarily do we encounter other humans. We have come across a variety of wildlife. I have been struggling to explain to the girls, we do not need to befriend every being we see like the skunks and foxes. I really do not need that sort of adventure! With a more restful existence, I've been able to draw and paint more! I missed this! I have been playing more with pastels, charcoals and pencil.

I have also kept up with my knitting.

As the clock strikes midnight, we find ourselves a bit sleepy.

Time to retire. I hope you are all looking after yourselves. Talk again soon!

Wonderful Days

I seem to have taken an unintentional hiatus. A few changes. For the better. As I sit here listening to the rain we desperately needed, I was thinking about them and remembered I've been pretty quiet. A few months ago, I was approached by another nursing home, in need of personal support workers. At first, I declined. I just wasn't ready for any change. I was much too comfortable. A few months passed and I was again asked to reconsider. I thought, why not? I could visit. If it doesn't feel right, I can say thank you but, no. I found my courage, drove to meet the proprietor and decided to see what the vibe was like. It was a good vibe. The proprietor and I got along well and I said yes. Now I work an evening shift and enjoying sleeping at night. After 10 years, it was time! Our garden has produced a wonderful harvest with a surprise as well!

This is a cucuzza. The seeds came in a pumpkin seed packet. Imagine my surprise when all these sprouted!

This photo was taken at the beginning of summer. The leaves and vines from the cucuzza travelled quite far. To the chicken coop! My tomatoes also yielded a feast. I have already made and froze three types of sauce, bruschetta and a few BLTs!

Needless to say, the garden has been a success. My knitting needles have also been clicking away. I finished my Bloody Mary socks!

Now I'm working on my Garia socks by Erika Lopez.

It is actually knit inside out to make it a bit easier. I'm using a yarn by Schachenmayr Regia, Bamboo. It is a very nice yarn to work with and a lovely knit to help decompress. Hubs built me a fantastic cabinet to store all my supplies!

Ignore the child safety lock. It's the only way I have of keeping someone out of my yarn! She may look innocent but, she is actually a ninja!

School is going well. It is a bit weird to say I have homework in my 40s but, I enjoy it! I hope you are all keeping well. Just think, Autumn is just around the corner! Take care and talk soon!

Thinking an Awful Lot

I recently celebrated my 43rd birthday. That is what started all of the thinking and reminiscing. At this age, my father was diagnosed with Cancer. He died six months later. I have no fear of mortality. I try to do what is right and most of the time, I succeed. When my father was thus age, the world was quite different. Our telephones had cords. Cable was a huge deal. Divorce was an isolating way of life. A woman's worth was whether she could work and be a housewife, quietly. Feminism was really starting to become noticed. I think of all these things and reflect on my life. I'm overall, happy. I have been divorced. I'm nit able to have children. I can pursue whatever career I wish. I have met a lot of people that have made a great impact on my life. I have the relative freedom to do whatever I wish. I believe if my father was still on thus Earth, he would be proud of who I am becoming. I have gone back to school tomearn my BBA. I am doing well in my courses. I struggle but, I am learning all the time. I am so grateful.

I Was Jabbed

Yesterday afternoon I received my first dose of the COVID vaccine. To be honest, I can't tell whether the effects I am experiencing are side effects, pyschosomatic, or side effects from when I'm about to get my period. I've had a headache all day. Felt tired. I've been sneezing a fair bit. That may just be allergies. Either way, I'm all right. I have my mid term tomorrow. This is a nerve wracking experience for me. My mom reminded me that when I was little, every time you put the words test, quiz, exam, in front of me, my mind would just shut off. I would know and understand the subject, backwards and forwards. Toss in thise scary little words, my mind would just blank. I am trying really hard to just downplay it, It will be fine, Even if things go horribly awry, what is the worse that can happen? Maybe I have to repeat the course. Maybe I get kicked out of the program. At the end of the day, I will kniw that I did my best and I have lits of other skills and hobbies I enjoy. Those are worse case scenarios. I have no intention of failing. But, if it happens, I keep going. Between studying, I try to venture outside. The girls remind me how important it is to step away once in a while. I'm glad they did or we would not have met our newest resident!

She seems quite content with her selected home. I'm glad she chose our ladder to construct her nest. I will keep you updated. It was a long day. I am iff to bed. Keep safe!

Happy May!

I am so pleased with myself. Normally, I am my own worse enemy. Second guessing most of my choices. It's ridiculous really. Even the tarot cards I enjoy, lean towards the belief that I should follow my gut instinct mire often. It's true. I should. Very rarly, do I ever regret a decision made with my natural instincts. I have completed my first month in my business program. It has been challenging. I expected that. It has afterall, been sometime since I was in a scolarly position. My only regret is not doing this sooner. Then again, I would have been a much different person earlier. It would have been a different experience. At least now, I can fully appreciate my efforts. You know what prompted this return to school? A video game. I was playing The Sims. I have always enjoyed this game. Something about choosing a path for a fictional character, watching them trudge along, sometimes encountering obstacles, sometimes going rogue, either way, it's loads of fun. Anyway, I was playing this game and thinking why don't I level myself up? With the pandemic going on, evrything is remote. It would be so much more accessible than having to go to a camous in person. So, I jumped in. I am truly enjoying myself. I go through these bouts of insecurity, then I dust myself off and keep going. I'm not able to really give a lot if time to my hobbies but, I do the best I can. I have been enjoying the garden with Jackie and Charlotte. Lots of plants have returned!

Every day, something new pops up. It's always such a plesant change after the long, cold winter. I haven't been painting as often but, I managed to get into my shop this afternnon.

I will look at these tomorrow in fresh light and see if I am pleased with their progress. I am actually quite sleepy. I will read a little bit and then head off to bed. I hope you are all well. Take care of yourselves!

Good Morning!

I have gone back to school! Turns out it wasn't just happy nostalgia. I really do love the smell of new school supplies. Maybe that's why I enjoy creating art? I am pursuing a BA on business. It will be a two year adventure that will hopefully find me in a another realm of employment. At the moment I feel a bit overwhelmed and rusty. It's difficult to believe this is the same brain that helped me graduate over 20 years ago. Now I have to train it to remember other things besides 80s song lyrics. The gardens has seen so much new growth these past few weeks. Some things I am unable to identify. Other things I recognize and am so happy to see them return! They're my little friends.

To help my drawing, I've been trying to sketch and paint a little each day.

We started some seeds in containers to transplant into the garden when the weather warms. I should have taken photos of the seeds. Hard to believe something so tiny can grow into these large plants! They are already starting to emerge and it's been less than a week.

I was quite successful at baking March's cake recipe from Food & WinePorter Bundt Cake

Jo absolutely loved it! I hoped he savoured it because I don't see me making another any time soon. It was a great learning experience. I just do not enjoy spending that long amount of time in the kitchen. It did taste amazing. Put me in mind of a soice cake. I'm off to study a but more. I can't believe how much I have forgotten. Keep safe. Stay well.

Little Steps

I always try to start my day with little steps. I find it help. First item on the agenda. Getout of bed. Take the dogs out. Feed everyone, including myself. If these items on the list are checked off, it's a good day. I try to do something that brings me a bit of joy. Maybe I'll replenish the birdfeeders. I enjoy seeing my little feathered friends. Then if I'm able, I try to take to snap a few pictures. I might use the actual camera or my iPad. Whichever is on hand. I like to try and a draw a little. It helps my hands loosen up so I can do a bit more. I love to knit while I watch a show or two, or three. Perhaps more. At the moment I really enjoy Coroner. I watch it on CBC Gem. It can be quite addictive. To alleviate my guilt of just sitting, I tend to knit. My fuzzy companions usually are quite efficient at reminding me to eat and walk around a bit. Lately I've been trying to learn nee things, regardless of whether I'll be god at it or understand what on Earth I'm doing. I read an article in Food & Wine online, that said something along the lines, that if you want to be a more confident baker, here are 12 cakes you must try. Did we talk about this before? Anyway, I started in the month of February because it was, well, February. It was the Molten Chocolate Cake. I surprised myself! It turned out amazing! Hubs loved it so much, I baked a couple more a few weeks after.

It was a great introduction for me into this more advanced world of baking. There wasn't that many ingredients and the ones needed were easily found. I find that living in Southern Quebec, a lot of ingredients are very difficult to find. At least now in our new technological world, we can find substitions and order some of the more interesting ingredients online. I think that's what I'll have to do with the next cake. I'm struggling to find cocoa nibs. You know what else I literally just read? I mean it. I actually just read this. It's still open on another tab. To try not to label something we do as good or bad. I do this all the time with the art I create. I always assign that label of whether it's good. I need to stop this. Just enjoy the process. I do this with knitting. I really love just the act of knitting. That moment of zen where you are just concentrating on the stitches. That's why I have no problem ripping something back, sometimes to the very beginning, and starting again. While we're chatting about knitting, I'll show you some of what I did and still workimg on. I made Charlotte another sweater. This one was knit with two strands of yarn held together to create a more thick fabric that can handle our cold winters.

I also made the neck opening smaller so she can't jump out of it so easily. My Ten Stitch blanket will always I suspect, be a work in progress.

Rorschach absolutely adores it. I had a lot of that bright green yarn left I used to knit Charlotte's sweaters so, I made myself a pair of thick, stumbling around socks.

They are great for strolling around the house. They keep my toes toasty on the cold floors. My other socks, Falling Leaves, have not really progressed much.

That's okay. They be completed eventually. Grisou is a big supporter of slow and steady. I have really surpassed my expectations of trying to draw or paint something every day. It has not been every day, but way more often than in the past. My two little supervisors are always in hand to offer support.

Here are a few photos of my efforts:

A showcase if a but if this and that if you will. With the province still being on lockdown, I've tried to take advantage of a few of the online workshops. I'm not big on participation. My mic and camera are always off. I really do enjoy listening though. So far I watched quite a few painting tutorials. The photo I just showed you of the Robin was part if a The Magic Of Watercolour class, I found through Facebook. The woman leading the workshop has a lovely speaking voice. She promotes the while, enjoy the process attitude. I've also enjoyed learning about interactive workshops, cyber security, meditation, finance, and so many other topics. We are for the most part, home. Now is the time, if you're able to explore things virtually, you might nit otherwise have the chance. One day this week, there will be a tutorial on how to draw an eye! For now, that covers quite a bit of my little world. We shall continue one step at a time. Perhaps you can share if there are workshops or tutorials that you have been enjoying? Take care. We will chat again.